Reinventing the Wheel

In the first of these compositions the wheel form is still largely the subject, but it is pushed towards being something different, a container and a lid. The idea of giving land-based forms the uncertain support of wheels makes light of objects that are intrinsically heavy. Movement is implied, but not possible. These wheels are fixed; the artist remains in control. Gradually Edwards has introduced colour into his sculptures. He is uneasy about colour, but it works well where he uses it to draw our eye to parts of the sculpture that we may overlook. He also uses colour to define limits, linking a roof with wheels, or to demonstrate other boundaries by showing a way and then blocking it. The colours resonate although they are low-key. Worked into the wood or metal with wire wool, they become part of the base material, particularly when waxed to a luminous satin finish.

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About The Artist

His work is influenced by his daily encounter with the townscape of London docklands. His sculptures address the importance of craftsmanship and well-engineered architectural structures. However all of Edwards sculptures deliberately do not fulfill their inherent function to move or contain. This futility enforces the exposure of the sculptures fantastical elements and offers potential for alternatives. Edwards fascination and obsession with the construction of the wheel is a major feature of his work. This is made all the more potent due to his interesting ancestry as Edwards great grandfather emigrated from Germany in the nineteenth century, establishing a coach building company in Liverpool.